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newsroom
Investment in new capacity will benefit consumers, wind industry American Wind Energy Association Executive Director Randall Swisher issued this statement in response to a preliminary approval by the Texas Public Utilities Commission (PUC) of a plan for new transmission capacity that could bring online an additional 11,550 MW of wind power: “With its decision to approve new, large investments in transmission lines for renewable energy, Texas is not only ensuring that consumers will reap the benefits of more wind power, it is also showing the way forward for the nation. “We need to improve the way the nation plans for transmission lines, both to increase electric system reliability and to tap our vast wind resource. Texas is pioneering a way to that by establishing “Competitive Renewable Energy Zones” that identify corridors where transmission can be built and ways in which the lines will be funded. “The state’s leaders, from Governor Perry, to the legislature, to the Public Utility Commissioners, are to be commended for taking on a complex issue and crafting an innovative solution. Their achievement, a culmination of six years of hard work, can serve as a national model for how to cut the Gordian knot of transmission planning today,” Swisher said. Legislation has been introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) to create National Renewable Energy Zones, which would bring vast amounts of low-cost renewable resources to consumers and increase grid reliability. In addition, Sen. John Thune (R-SD) added a transmission-related energy corridors amendment to a Senate energy bill last year. “Investing in new transmission for renewable energy not only increases our electricity supply, it reduces carbon emissions from power generation and applies downward pressure on electricity costs. Based on a study by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, a transmission investm ent of $1 billion per year is expected to lower overall payments by customers to power generators by more than $3 billion per year – an overall savings of about $2 billion per year. At the national level, benefits would also far outweigh the costs, making investment in transmission a clear win for our economy, environment, and energy security,” Swisher added. “The leadership that Texas has established in wind power is paying economic dividends in several areas. In addition to meeting its growing electricity demand with clean power, Texas is building a major new industry and creating thousands of jobs in wind farm construction and maintenance, manufacturing, transportation, and services.”
AWEA is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry. # # #
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